Custom-printed garments: it seems like everywhere you look, you see people wearing them. From matching t-shirts for family reunion picnics to company softball team uniforms, to the shirts worn by potential contestants on The Price is Right in hopes of getting picked to “come on down,” there’s no shortage of one-of-a-kind garments printed with a unique name, saying or logo.

But can these specialty items only be made by a professional garment printing company? Is there any way to make your own special t-shirt, hat, bag or other branded merchandise without having to pay a fortune to the pros? Fortunately, it’s entirely possible to make your own custom-printed garments without breaking the bank. If you’re an artist or designer, either by trade or as a hobby, chances are you’d love the chance to see one of your graphics on a t-shirt or other garment. Here are the steps to make your own custom heat transfers easily and affordably.

Check your printer

Not all printers are compatible with the transfer paper you’ll need to use for printing your design, so it’s important to first check and make sure your printer works with it. While you can use either a laser or inkjet printer to print on transfer paper, we recommend not using HP, Dell or Brother printers, as these brands have internal fusers that run too hot, causing the paper to get stuck in the rollers.

Create your design

Use a computer program such as Adobe InDesign or Canva to produce the design that you want to end up on a custom-printed piece of clothing or other item. This design can be a brand logo, a graphic image or even just text, depending on your vision. Alternatively, you can draw a design freehand with an electronic drawing pad tool attached to your computer, or on a piece of paper which can then be scanned as an image to be printed. The choice is yours!

Print your custom heat transfer

After loading your printer with heat transfer paper, print out your design just as you would print on regular paper.

Transfer design onto a garment

Once you’ve printed your design onto the transfer paper, position it onto a garment or other item in your heat press machine. Be sure the heat press is set to the correct temperature for optimal results.

Once you’ve successfully printed and transferred your first custom design, you’ll be ready for many more opportunities to create one-of-a-kind clothing for your own enjoyment or as a business. Keep in mind that your skill will improve with every printing project. Enjoy!